365 Days....100 BOOKS

Wannabe Super Mom Bookworm........Challenged myself to read 100 books from the last half of my pregnancy,through having my 1st BABY and learning how to be a housewife & mom, till the kid is 8 months old...This proved to be too crazy of an undertaking as I am FAR BEHIND!!!

Friday, November 27, 2009

"Money is going to have to buy a lot in the next few weeks, but it can't buy the gifts that count most: good health, a loving and supportive marriage, healthy chidren, the fulfillment of creative expression, and inner peace."

"'One of the most sublime experiences we can ever have is to wake up feeling healthy after we have been sick.'" Rabbi Harold Kushner, Who Needs God

"If you have a healthy mind, a healthy heart, and reserves of stamina and creative energy to draw on, the world is literally lying at your feet."

Simple Abundance When You're Sick (Nov. 25th)

"Illness is the doctor to whom we pay most heed; to kindness, to knowledge, we make promises only; pain we obey." Marcel Proust

"Sometimes none of it makes sense. Sometimes it just is. But if we can hold on long enough for this night to give way to another day, all shall be well, even if it's different from what we had expected. Even if it's different from what we had hoped for and believed with all our hearts would happen...

All shall be well,And all shall be well,And all manner of things shall be well.

Dame Julian of Norwich

Reminds me instantly of hymn, "It is well with my soul" and the proverb "This too shall pass."

Simple Abundance What Women Want (Nov. 27th)

"A nap is not to be confused with sleeping. We sleep to recharge our bodies. We nap to care for our souls."

"...and you may be sure that your sin will find you out." Numbers 32: 23

Finished with the book of Numbers...on the whole, neither Leviticus or Numbers had a lot of content that I found enlightening...but they do serve an important historical purpose and they do shed light on what life looked like for the believer before Jesus came to earth...

Acts 17-18:23

One of my dad's favorite passages..."Now the Bereans were of more noble character thatn the Thessalonians, for they received the messag with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." Chapter 17, 11

POWER CHAPTER: "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them, and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being. As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.' Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone- an image made by man's design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. for he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead." Chapter 17, 24-31

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

"May the Lord, the God of the spirits fo al mankind, appoint a man over this community to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the Lord's people will not be like sheep without a shepherd." Chapter 27, Verses 16 & 17

Acts 16:16-40

Such an amazing story in this chapter...

"About midnight Paul & Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose." Chapter 16, Verses 25 & 26 But Paul & Silas didn't escape and when the jailer realized the prison doors were opened & went to kill himself for this happening on his watch, they said, "Don't harm yourself! We are still here!" Verse 28 and the jailer responded with, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved? They replied, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved- you and your household. Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God- he and his whole family." Verses 30-34 And Paul & Silas were acquitted the next day...

"I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the command of the Lord my God." Chapter 22, Verse 18

"'Well, I have come to you now. But can I just say anything? I must speak only what God puts in my mouth'...'Stay here beside your offering while I go aside. Perhaps the Lord will come to meet with me. Whatever he reveals to me I will tell you'...God met with him...'I see a people who live apart and do not consider themselves one of the nations'...'Must I not speak what the Lord puts in my mouth?' The Lord met with Balaam and put a message in his mouth...'God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot change it...The Lord their God is with them, the shout of the King is among them.'...'Did I not tell you I must do whatever the Lord says?'" Chapter 22, Verse 28, Chapter 23, Verses 3, 4, 9, 12, 16, 19, 20, 21 & 26

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Good advice on taking a day off every now & then to indulge yourself...read a book with a box of fancy chocolates, don't answer the phone, get a spa treatment....relax & rejuvenate...I absolutely agree that this is important...but it is a luxury that not everyone is able to actually do, only dream of...

"We too are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them. In the past, he let all nations go their own way. Yet he has not left himself wihtout testimony. He has shown kindness by giving you rain form heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy." Chapter 14, Verses 15-17

Friday, November 20, 2009

For those of you who may have been following-along as I've attempted to keep-up with daily reading, daily blogging, reading goals....you will surely have noticed that I've been severely falling behind! Yikes! And the baby's not even here yet! Here's the reason...I have finally started taking-on the housewife responsibilities full-boar! And I've actually been loving it! I'm almost finished my 2nd-consecutive week of planning meals ahead of time and cooking consistenly throughout the week...this morning, I even made a hot breakfast for the household for the first time! My goal has been to make 4 evening dinners, 3 lunches & 1-2 hot breakfasts each week, sneaking some baking or desserts in when I can. The gaps are times when my husband Jay doesn't come home for lunch or is working in the evenings and those are mostly accommodated with leftovers and my making myself simple meals with pasta & sandwiches, etc.I've also been committing to general house-cleaning more than ever before...and subsequently, I had to finish reading & then blog about around 5 days-worth of daily reading today! AND, the worst part is....I'm 2 books behind in my challenge! That's the worst I've been behind yet...

So, these next couple of weeks will really be the test of time...of course, I have several To-Do's that I really need to clear off my desk today & some house-cleaning & dinner to make for tonight...but I would love nothing more than to finish a few books and get caught-up....bear with me, if you can & wish me luck....looks like I need it!

"How we feel about ourselves, the joy we get from living, ultimately depends directly on how the mind filters and interprets everyday experiences. Whether we are happy depends on inner harmony, not on the controls we are able to exert over the great forces of the universe." Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Weather Report(Nov. 17th)

"It's terribly amusing how many different climates of feeling one can go through in a day." Anne Morrow Lindbergh

"The only way I got sober was by acknowledging my dependence on personal drama to a Source stronger than my instinct for self-sabotage and finally surrendering the theatrics."

The Blessing of Friends (Nov. 18th)

This is an exceptionally useful chapter for me...I value my friendships so much, but I constantly have trouble putting effort into them & let them weaken or lose ties altogether...

"God speaks to us through all those intimate chats, conversations, and confessions."

"Above all, let your friends know how much you love them. Tell them frequently how much you treasure the gift of their friendship."

"Friends are people who help you be more yourself, more the person you are intended to be." Merle Shain

The Kindness of Strangers (Nov. 19th)

"From this day forward, start becoming consciously aware of your encounters with strangers. Look for them. Smile. Make eye contact. Strike up a conversation. You never know."

"Be kind to strangers. Let strangers be kind to you. Think of it as a positive exchange of comfort and compassion in the circle of life."

Blessed Be the Ties That Bind (Nov. 20th)

"Try to make the effort. Not having time, or 'meaning to', really doesn't cut it. None of us have time, all of us mean to. We can all do it, once we make thoughtfulness easy with a system"

"Simone Weil believed, 'To be rooted is perhaps the most important and least recognized need of the human soul.'"

Wow! A lot to think about from today's readings.....I NEED to make more of an effort with my friends....that quote above hit me hard....no one has the time & everybody "means to"...but that doesn't cut it.....it really doesn't....

The first few chapters of today's readings are mostly unrelatable details...

"At the Lord's command they encamped, and at the Lord's command they set out." Chapter 9, Verse 23 If only we did everything by the Lord's command today...instead of @ our own whim & choosing...

"When you go into battle in your own land against an enemy who is oppressing you, sound a blast on the trumpets. Then you will be remembered by the Lord your God and rescued from your enemies." Chapter 10, Verse 9

"For the Lord has promised good things to Israel." Verse 29

"Is the Lord's arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you." Chapter 11, Verse 23

"Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth." Chapter 12, Verse 3

"When a prophet of the Lord is among you, I reveal myself to him in visions. I speak to him in dreams. But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house. With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?" Verses 6-8 Don't mess with those whom God speaks to face to face....!

"How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them?" Chapter 14, Verse 11

"The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion." Verse 18

Acts 11-13

Peter was so in-tune with the Holy Spirit...it's incredible..."The Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going with them." Chapter 11, Verse 12 He so clearly understood the Holy Spirit's prompting & was confident in that...

"As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. Then I remembered what the Lord had said: 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God?" Verses 15-17 I appreciate Peter's humility in saying, "Who was I to think that I could oppose God?" Many of us think we're really somebody & question God on all fronts..."So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life." Verse 18 Good thing, "even the Gentiles" because anyone who isn't Jewish, is a Gentile...so that's me! And even I can now have repentance!

"The Lord's hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord." Verse 21

"When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord...the disciples were called Christians first at Antioch." Verses 23, 24 & 26

"Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. 'Quick, get up!' he said, and the chains fell off Peter's wrists." Chapter 12, Verse 7

"Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating." Verse 11

"Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses." Chapter 13, Verses 38 & 39

"We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. For this is what the Lord has commanded us: 'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'" Verses 46 & 47

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Today's reading wasn't in-line with how I believe with spiritual realm exists...I'm not convinced that there is a specific angel who is guardian over just myself alone & I certainly would never bring myself to name them...but, that's me....!

Saturday, November 14, 2009

I enjoyed this novel...however, it didn't blow me away as I thought a Pullitzer Prize winning novel would...I can't see myself yearning to read it again....but here are the highlights for me:

"Lawyers, I suppose, were children once." Charles Lamb

"Thus we came to know Dill as a pocket Merlin, whose head teemed with eccentric plans, strange longings, and quaint fancies."

"I would be starting a school in a week. I never looked forward more to anything in my life."

"Miss Caroline told me to tell my father not to teach me any more, it would interfere with my reading."

"Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing."

"Atticus don't ever do anything to Jem and me in the house that he don't do in the yard," I said, feeling it my duty to defend my parent."

"...it's a sin to kill a mockingbird. Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy...they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."

"I had received the impression that Fine Folks were people who did the best they could with the sense they had, but Aunt Alexandra was of the opinion, obliquely expressed, that the longer a family had been squatting on one patch of land the finer it was."

Accounts of believers worth emulating..."In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which, when translated is Dorcas), who was always doing good and helping the poor." Chapter 9, Verse 36

"At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly." Chapter 10, Verses 1 & 2

Friday, November 13, 2009

Interesting study on faith & doubt..."Faith breaks a heart in order to make it Whole." I agree with this assessment..."learn the hard-way", "You have to walk through the valley in order to reach the mountain-top"...these are all saying I believe to be true...God brings joy in the morning, through the heart-ache..."This too shall pass"..."It is well with my soul"...only that first quote is from this book....the rest we just all know....but I would say believeing the last one is the surest way to have a whole heart after it is broken...knowing that God has a purpose to come out of whatever you're dealing with and being able to say that your soul is well with His outcome...now, THAT'S faith...

"Perhaps the doubts must be acknowledged, accepted, embraced, and pushed past before our faith is strong enough, not just to talk about, but to sustain." That's an interesting point at the end there...that being strong enough to talk about our pain is important...but being truly sustained in faith beyond that is where the real fortitude shines through....some people get up the strength to talk about it but can't take the next step to live their lives & see what more there is to engage their souls that is out there waiting for them....

"Faith is not making religious-sounding noises in the daytime. It is asking your inmost self questions at night- and then getting up and going to work." And see, I would say that faith is asking your inmost self or God rather, questions at night & throughout the day and living-out the answers....because you WILL get answers....and it's acting on those answers that's important...not just wrestling with the issues in the comfort of your home at night....that won't save the world, or your neighbor next door....

Amazing Grace

"Grace fills empty spaces, but it can only enter where there is a void to receive it, and it is grace itself which makes the void." Simone Weil "We access grace like every other spiritual tool, by asking for it specifically and regularly." "Now that you're awake, gratefully and expectantly ask for one day's portion of grace."

Totally agreed! You have to ASK for grace & you have to make room for it in your heart and then grace WILL be given to you & you'll be amazed at what you're capable of when abiding in His grace...when we're full of ourselves, our pride, our belief that we deserve to be treated better....there's no room for grace....

Celestine Moments

"Strike up conversations with strangers who sit next to you or someone interesting-looking who makes eye contact. Be receptive and alert. See how many celestine moments you can accumulate in the course of a day. The more open you are to synchronicity's role in your life, the more magnetic you become to Divine assistance."

I believe I let this be me this evening...two members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints came to my door while my roommate & I were in the middle of viewing a chick-flick...and instead of rudely telling them, "I'm not interested!"as I normally would have, I indulged them, I let them ask me questions, I took the time to answer them and crazily (possibly), agreed to them coming back to my house tomorrow at a set time, to discuss their faith! I'm still not sure how I'm going to handle that or what God could want me to learn from the experience....but I was receptive & alert to a conversation with strangers, I made myself open to a potential celestine moment and I actually do feel more magnetic to God's intervention in my life after doing so...I will provide an update on the outcome tomorrow!

Answered Prayers

"We pray to meet our soul mate, instead of praying for the grace to become the woman our soul mate would be attracted to; we pray for wordly success when what we really long for is a sense of authentic accomplishment; we pray for more money, when what we need is a change in our relationship to money. We pray for a certain outcome in any given situation, when what we should be praying for is peace of mind, no matter what outcome occurs."

Absolutely agree!!! Wow, Sarah & I are on a roll together with the past 4 days' readings! Great advice!

"If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit." Chapter 26, Verses 3 & 4

"I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will remove savage beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country. You will pursue your enemies and they will fall by the sword before you." Verses 6 & 7

"I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you." Verse 9

"I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people." Verse 12

Acts 7-9:31 Living in Fear of the Lord...

Jam-packed chapters just as the first 6 were....such an enthralling book!

"At that time Moses was born, and he was no ordinary child." Chapter 7, Verse 20 God grant me the ability & wisdom to raise a child who is everything but ordinary & useful for your kingdom...

"However, the Most High does not live in houses made by men." Verse 48

"You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit." Verse 51

At Stephen's stoning...he prayed out to God to receive his spirit and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." Verse 60 I can't imagine having the fortitude of character & faith in God's justice to ask Him to not hold such a grievance against my "enemies"....it's unreal to be able to see past such hurt and forgive....

"Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went." Chapter 8, Verse 4

The final verse in this reading talks of the people throughout Judea, Galilee & Samaria at the time of Saul's conversion and how they were, "...strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit...grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord." Chapter 9, Verse 31 That is what I see lacking in my life and the lives of many who are close to me....we don't live in fear of God...we abuse our freedom to live for ourselves and however we choose....and it's crippling....

Sunday, November 8, 2009

"Coping well enables you to see beyond the circumference of circumstance, so that the Real in the center o fyour daily round is not hidden by happenstance."

Shepheard's Hotel

Oooh, a reading about romance! "He knows that I was created in a burst of passion, for romance. So were you." Ha, ha! I don't truly believe that I was created for romance...but I as a woman, do have a yearning for it always!

This reading from yesterday's date calls us to remember "The romance of living that we let slip away every day because real life forces us into prudence."

"When you acknowledge your romantic impulses, no matter how implausible or impractical, you strengthen the intimate connection with your authentic self. Connection with those who cherish and love you unconditionally. Connection with those things that fuel your passions, feed your soul, keep you alive."

"What must you do before you die? Where must you go? What worlds must you conquer?"

This reading prompts me to finally make a bucket list...something I've always wanted to get down on paper, but never have.....

Everyday Life is the Prayer

I love it and take notice when two or more of my daily readings are on the same topic...one of today's Love Dare readings was also on prayer...and ironically enough, or very likely, not ironic at all...Jay & I have been lacking in a real committment to prayer...I find it fairly effortless to pull out the devotion book to read & discuss together or sit down here at my desk and read my Bible & blog about it...but to take time to pray....is more difficult. Sarah says in this reading that she believes women pray in many forms, many of which are not audible...but what I need is a dedication to intentional prayer...

..."instead, by praying you will increase your awareness of it (love)."

"Women pray because we need to talk to Someone who's really listening." And this last line reminds me of the words of Elizabeth Elliot in "Let Me Be a Woman"..."In order to learn what it means to be a woman, we must start with the One who made her."

"..the unity that grows between a man and woman who regularly pray together form an intense and powerful connection."

"When you know that prayer time awaits you before going to bed, it will change the way you spend your evening. Even if your prayers together are typically short and to the point, this will become a standing appointment that you can orbit your day around, keeping God in the middle of everything."

Love fulfills dreams

"Ask yourself what your mate would want if it was obtainable. Commit this to prayer, and start mapping out a plan for meeting some (if not all) of their desires, to whatever level you possibly can."

Well, it turns out that the next few chapters of Leviticus appeared mostly as irrelevant as the first 10....so I've scanned 3-days' worth of reading again today...hoping that by tomorrow, there'll be some content in Leviticus to learn from....

Acts 3-5:11

I don't know that realized it before...but Acts might be my favorite book in the Bible...great verses from today's reading...

"Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." Chapter 3, Verse 6

"...and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him." Verse 10

"You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead." Verse 15

"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord." Verse 19

"It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed." Chapter 4, Verse 10

"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Verse 12

"When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus." Verse 13

"Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard." Verses 19 & 20

The first 10 chapters of Leviticus are mostly detailed accounts of various offerings the Israelites were required to perform before God...therefore, I skimmed until I found content & checked-off 5 days worth! Tomorrow should be the start of actual gleaning from this book...

Matthew 27:45-28

Wow! Power reading today...literally..."And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people." Chapter 27, Verses 50-53

"When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened they were terrified, and exclaimed, 'Surely he was the Son of God!'" Verse 54

"He is not here; he has risen, just as he said." Chapter 28, Verse 6 The entire validity of Jesus as the Son of God & the Savior of the world is wrapped-up in those 11 words...they immediately remind me of a verse in the New Testament that says in black & white that Jesus' resurrection from the dead is everything...that our faith is nothing without that...and I couldn't find the verse on my own, so I called-up my preacher Dad who knows his Bible inside & out...and the verses I was thinking of are in 1 Corinthians 15: 13-14 "If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith." Also verse 17, "And is Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins." One of the most amazing things about believing in Jesus is that we can step out of our sins and take on the redeeming blood of Jesus instead...something I would never exchange...

Jesus final words in Matthew, to the 11 disciples..."All authority in heavn and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Verses 18-20 A lot of speakers working from this passage emphasize the verb, "Go!" and challenge us that it really is an action word, used for a reason...to literally get us off our buts, out of our houses and definitely out of our comfort zones...to find people who don't know Jesus and make disciples...of all nations...

To be caught-up with how far ahead I checked-off in Leviticus...I might as well start the book of Acts and catch that up to the same place for tomorrow....so here are the first 2 chapters of Acts....

Acts 1-2:47

Double-Wow power chapters of Acts!!! There is SO much in those few pages, it's unreal.....so many verses that just cut me to the heart..."But you will receive POWER when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Verse 8 This means we must not be satisfied with living mediocre lives...God has given us POWER to be His witnesses!!! Can I get a witness?!!! How much courage & fortitude it will take to live as a witness for God...

Reminder that Jesus will return..."After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight...This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." Verses 9 & 11

PENTECOST...."They were all together in one place (emphasis on the believers meeting together). Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them." Chapter 2, Verses 1-4 I appreciate that as it explains in the next verses...that the speaking in tongues that took place on this occasion was the speaking of truth in other actual languages...languages the believers did not already know, but of people who were there in the area, who could then hear the Truth spoken in their own "tongue".....that's what I call effective use of speaking in tongues!

"And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Verse 21

"This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose..." Verse 23 Proof that the Jews cannot be blamed for crucifying Jesus Christ...God meant for that to happen...

However, "...it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him." Verse 24 Hallelujah!

"You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence." Verse 28 One of the most gorgeous lines I have ever read.....and will read over & over in my lifetime.....

"God has raised this Jesus to life and we are all witnesses of the fact." Verse 32 Even we who were not there so many years ago...are all witnesses of the fact that Jesus is alive....we see Him working in our lives today, and we know the truth....!

"God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified both Lord and Christ." Verse 36

"Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off- for all whom the Lord our God will call." Verses 38 & 39

"Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." Verse 40

And my favorite part of these two chapters is the next few verses...the entire framework for how the church should be founded on & carried-out...

"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their numbers daily those who were being saved." Verses 42-47

I didn't enjoy this book as much as "Brave New World"...I can't imagine ever reading it again...but it's a classic, and now I've read it! Just a very abstract novel with not much of a point, as far as I'm concerned....some good writing dispersed throughout...a lot of narrative about what he calls "the beat generation"...here are a few quotes I enjoyed...

"...and I shambled after as I've been doing all my life after people who interest me, because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes 'Awww!'" Chapter 1, Pages 5 &6

"I was halfway across America, at the dividing line between the East of my youth and the West of my future, and maybe that's why it happened right there and then, that strange red afternoon." Chapter 3, Page 15

"A pain stabbed my heart, as it did every time I saw a girl I loved who was going the opposite direction in this too-big world." Chapter 12, Page 81

"Just about that time a strange thing began to haunt me. It was this: I had forgotten something. There was a decision that I was about to make before Dean showed up, and now it was driven clear out of my mind but still hung on the tip of my mind's tongue. I kept snapping my fingers, trying to remember it. I even mentioned it. And I couldn't even tell if it was a real decision or just a thought I had forgotten. It haunted and flabbergasted me, made me sad. It had to do somewhat with the Shrouded Traveler...We pondered it. I proposed it was myself, wearing a shroud. That wasn't it. Something, someone, some spirit was pursuing all of us across the desert of life and was bound to catch us before we reached heaven. Naturally, now that I look back on it, this is only death; death will overtake us before heaven. The one thing that we yearn for in our living days, that makes us sign and groan and undergo sweet nauseas of all kinds, is the remembrance of some lost bliss that was probably experienced in the womb and can only be reproduced (though we hate to admit it) in death." Chapter Four of Part Two, Page 124

"Every now and then a clear harmonic cry gave new suggestions of a tune that would someday be the only tune in the world and would raise men's souls to joy." Chapter 10 of Part Three, Page 242

It's interesting that after flipping through the book and re-reading everything I underlined and typing-out above my favorite lines...I do have a greater appreciation for the novel...there really is some great writing in this book...I just still don't necessarily appreciate the intent or overall theme of the book....I understand why it's a classic though...trying to get into "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer now is painstaking!!!

Brave New WorldThis review is coming a few days past when I actually finished reading the book...simply because I've been procrastinating putting my thoughts & exerpts "down on paper"...or blogged! Here we go! I enjoyed this book. It lost me in a few parts, but the ideas of the future Aldous Huxley presents are mesmerizing...I can see myself reading this book again down the road...it wasn't simply a checkmark on my challenge list! Here are quotes that stood out...

"Chronic remorse, as all the moralists are agreed, is a most undesirable sentiment. If you have behaved badly, repent, make what amends you can and address yourself to the task of behaving better next time. On no account brood over your wrongdoing. Rolling in the muck is not the best way of getting clean." Foreword, Page 7 I'm very surprised that the last line hasn't caught-on as a famous quote...at least it's not one I recognized...it has such a ring to it...

"...Brave New World is a book about the future and, whatever its artistic or philosophical qualities, a book about the future can interest us only if its prophecies look as though they might conceivably come true." Foreword, Page 9

The pregnant part of me reacted to this line..."And in exceptional cases we can make one ovary yield us over fifteen thousand adult individuals." Chapter One, Page 19 That ovary could definitely land its own reality show!

Keeping the children of certain cloned castes away from one of my very obvious favorite things..."They'll be safe from books and botany all their lives"..."though he could see quite well why you couldn't have lower-caste people wasting the Community's time over books, and that there was always the risk of their reading something which might undesirably de-condition one of their reflexes, yet...well, he couldn't understand about the flowers"...Answer: "A love of nature keeps no factories busy."Chapter Two, Page 29 I better watch how much & what I read, or I might accidentally de-condition myself as well!

..."everyone belongs to everyone else." Chapter Three, Page 45One of the many mottos of the new world...and apparently, an expectation of promiscuity....!

Another fun quote against reading..."You can't consume much if you sit still and read books." Chapter Three, Page 50

"Accompanied by a campaign against the Past; by the closing of museums, the blowing up of historical monuments (luckily most of them had already been destroyed during the Nine Years' Way); by the suppression of all books published before A.F. 150." Chapter Three, Page 50 & 51 A.F. stands for "After Ford" ...the term "ford" replaces "God" in this novel....they revere Henry Ford for his manufacturing of cars and model the manufacturing of human life after his model....craziness!

"Walking and talking- that seemed a very odd way of spending the afternoon." Chapter Six, Page 77

My favorite scene is described here..."'That'll teach him,' he said to himself (the director). But he was mistaken. For Bernard left the room with a swagger, exulting, as he banged the door behind him, in the thought that he stood alone, embattled against the order of things; elated by the intoxicating consciousness of his individual significance and importance. Even the thought of persecution left him undismayed, was rather tonic than depressing. He felt strong enough to meet and overcome affliction, strong enough to face even Iceland." Chapter Six, Page 84

Great lines about motherhood here..."The spectacle of two young women giving the breast to their babies made her blush and turn away her face. She had never seen anything so indecent in her life"... But Bernard sees it differently..."What a wonderfully intimate relationship...And what an intensity of feeling it must generate! I often think one may have missed something in not having had a mother. And perhaps you've missed something in not being a mother, Lenina. Imagine yourself sitting there with a little baby of your own..." Chapter Seven, Page 93

"It was a masterly piece of work. But once you began admitting explanations in terms of purpose- well, you didn't know what the result might be. It was the sort of idea that might easily decondition the more unsettled minds among the higher castes- make them lose their faith in happiness as the Sovereign Good and take to believing, instead, that the goal was somewhere beyond, somewhere outside the present human sphere; that the purpose of life was not the maintenance of wellbeing, but some intensification and refining of consciousness, some enlargement of knowledge. Which was, the Controller reflected, quite possibly true. But not, in the present circumstances, admissible. " Chapter Twelve, Page 141

"Actual happiness always looks pretty squalid in comparison with the over-compensations for misery. And, of course, stability isn't nearly so spectacular as instability. And being contented has none of the glamour of a good fight against the misforture, none of hte picturesqueness of as struggle with temptation or a fatal overthrow by passion or doubt. Happiness is never grand." Chapter Sixteen, Page 174

I hated the ending...but wasn't surprised by it...if I had to live in "The Brave New World", I'd have likely ended-up with the same fate......

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Descritption of the goddess, Vesta..."Vesta is the one who urges women to be quiet, to sit, to gaze, to listen, to prepare delicious meals, to bring beauty into our daily round, to live through our six senses, to create a sacred haven of security and serenity set apart from the world in order to protect all we cherish. Vesta is the ancient goddess who calls on us to focus our creative energies on the Real."

"It is crucial that a husband and wife pursue godly advice, healthy friendships, and experienced mentors." Interesting that today's reading is about accountability...because Jay & I recently picked-up a couples' devotion book and have been going through it together in the mornings....and today's stressed the importance of solid, Christian friends in your life who can not only influence us but the lives of our children down the road...it got us thinking about which of our friends we need to be more intentional about spending time with...You know God's trying to tell you something when He tells you through 2 different sources in one day...

"You look for a person who has the kind of marriage you want. You look for a person whose heart for Christ comes first before everything else. You look for someone who doesn't live by his or her opinions but by the unchanging Word of God." That last part hit me hard....someone that doesn't live by their opinions...that is not easy to accomplish in practice....I have a lot of friends with a lot of opinions and I'm one of them! Really thought-provoking concept.....

The end of this book describes the torture Jesus endured for us...it's ridiculous to imagine..."Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him and said, 'Prophecy to us, Christ. Who hit you?'" Chapter 26, verses 67 & 68

Talking about influences all around us..."They'll say that having a knockout wife who dresses to get other men's attention is a good thing. They'll say that bad language and immorality in the movies are fine for mature people. They'll say that church isn't important in a person's life. They'll say that we each must find God in our own way." All lies I so easily believe.....

In the Garden of Gethsemane...Jesus asks his disciples to, "Stay here and keep watch with me." Verse 38 while he withdrew to pray. And 3 times Jesus returns to find his disciples sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." Verses 40 & 41 We so easily fall asleep, lose heart, are distracted or desire to fulfill our selfish wants rather than give God the time He asks of us...sometimes just one hour....

I missed "All Soul's Day"...a day to be more aware of nurturing the souls of others & in turn, nuture your own....I have bookmarked it for next year to remember to do something extra-caring throughout November 2nd next year....

Becoming Real

"Once you are Real you can't become unreal again. It lasts for always." Margery Williams References made to "The Velveteen Rabbit" throughout this reading..."Real isn't how you are made. It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long, time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real." The Velveteen Rabbit "In orderfor us to become Real, we must become lovers of real life in all its complexity and uncertainty."

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

This exerpt describes Jay & I completely..."One may be more gentle and able to keep peace among family members, while the other handles discipline more directly and effectively. One may have a good business head but needs the other to help him remember to be generous."

Interesting verse about atonement money that made me think of our current H1N1 crisis...."When you take a census of the Israelites to count them, each one must pay the Lord a ransom for his life at the time he is counted. Then no plague will come on them when you number them..." Chapter 30, Verse 12 Is our world fighting off plagues & disease right now because of our sin? Is it our sin as a whole, or the sin of each individual? Daunting thought....I don't generally believe that God causes these things to happen but that He sometimes allows them to....the latter is more comforting...

Then this reading gets into the Sabbath...which has be perpetually puzzled...wondering how closely to the Old Testament we should be observing the Sabbath in present day...it's clear from a verse I recently read in Matthew (Chapter 19:16-20) that God still expects us to honor the 10 Commandments, which include, "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy..." Exodus 20:8 But since we are no longer bound to the old law, what are God's expectations of our adherence to this commandment? This chapter says of the Sabbath, "This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy. Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you...The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant. It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever." Chapter 31, Verses 13, 14, 16 &17 The terms "lasting covenant" and "forever" sound to me as meaning this practice is to be continuing today.

It might be easy for my household to practice this as a family as my husband already isn't required to work Sundays and I could likely choose not to...however, there are many who have professions that require work on Sundays (medical personnel, police services, etc.) who would have a hard time accomplishing this today...

In Chapter 32, after the Israelites rebel against God and make themselves idols out of gold, Moses stands at the entrance of the camp and says, "Whoever is for the Lord, come to me." Verse 26 For some reason, I have always envisioned a scenario such as that happening to me in my lifetime, where I will literally be asked, before a group of people, to choose to stand for God or for man...I'm sure I have dozens of instances day-to-day that ask me to do the same but I don't recognize them...however, it would be amazing to truly be in that position one day....probably frightening as well...

I love in chapter 33, how it talks about Moses speaking to God face to face as he would a friend...the way God revealed Himself to Mack in "The Shack"....Verse 11

Moses says to God, "If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you." Verse 14

Matthew 25:31-26:30

"Come, you who are blessed by my Father: take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you invited me in. I needed clothes and you clothes me. I was sick and you looked after me. I was in prison and you came to visit me...I tell you the truth, whatever you do for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you do for me." Chapter 25, Verses 34-36, 40What I want said of me at the end of my life....on judgement day.....more is required of me throughout my days in this accord....

Sunday, November 1, 2009

"The path to personal wealth is regular saving and sharing, controlling expenditures, living debt-free, increasing prosperity throug prudent investment, protecting the bulk of your wealth from loss, owning property, establishing a future income for old age, and increasing the ability to earn money through perseverance." There were a few ideas in this chapter that are ahead of where Jay & I are in our finances right now...there isn't a $100 bill to be had to carry around with me to remind me of my abundance....maybe one day!

Make Room for Mystery, Awaken to the Magic

Reading complete...

NOVEMBER....."November's beauty radiates from within."

Embracing the Ebb

"Earthly souls ebb and flow in sorrow and joy according to the seasons of emotion, just as the seasons of the natural world move through the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. These are the days to be grateful for the harvest of the heart however humble it might be, and to prepare for the coming of the year's closure...This too shall pass."

"Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord." Colossians 3:18 I could learn more about being a submissive wife...that is for sure! I believe that marriages would be so much more successful if we learned how honoring & fulfilling submission can really be....

"Being able to wake up knowing that God is your source and supply-not just of your own needs but also those of your spouse-changes your whole reason for interacting with your mate."

Love brings unity

Reading completed...

Love and marriage

"Marriage changes everything." Ha, ha....does it ever?!

I completely relate to the idea of "...clinging to them as your new rock of refuge and safety." I definitely do that with Jay....sometimes I worry that I cling to him too much...but cling, I do!

Thought-provoking verse about how liberally & disrespectfully we discuss & view the leaders in government these days..."Do not blaspheme God or curse the ruler of your people." Chapter 22, Verse 28 There are several verses in Scripture about honoring the rulers of government in your country...We consider it our right these days to voice a negative opinion and be perpetually unsatisfied with our leaders...

"Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong." Chapter 23, Verse 2 So easy to do....

"Do not oppress an alien; you yourselves know how it feels to be aliens, because you were aliens in Egypt." Verse 9 Makes me think of the "Keep on Standing" book I just completed last week....

This next verse is hard for me to grasp...sounds like a "name it & claim it" concept...which is contrary to what I believe..."Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span." Verses 25 & 26 This promise must have been exclusive to the Israelites at that point in time...because there are people in my life who worship God who have been sick, have had miscarriages and have not lived a full life span...although I do believe God had blessings on their lives...He didn't prevent these things from happening...

"To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain." Chapter 24, Verse 17 Do we sometimes cease to recognize God's consuming fire from day to day?

"You are to receive the offering for me from each man whose heart prompts him to give." Chapter 25, Verse 2 I wonder if one's heart has to be very in-tune with God for it to genuinely be prompted to give....we tend to hold onto our riches with tightly clenched fists....

Matthew 22:15-25:30

"Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God'." Chapter 22, Verse 21 Which I believe means, pay your taxes & your bills...no Christian is exempt from what he owes society in this way...

The Greatest Commandment: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Chapter 22, Verses 37-40 The "loving your neighbor as yourself part" is not an easy task to accomplish....it really isn't....my understanding of what this could look like barely touches what I can imagine it can be...

"The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." Chapter 23, Verses 11 & 12

"More important matters of the law-justice, mercy and faithfulness... " Verse 23

"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." Verse 39

Signs of the end of the age..."Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various place. All these are the beginning of the birth pains...Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come...'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.' At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other." Chapter 24, Verses 7, 8, 12-14, 29-31 Let my love of God not grow cold....